Al-Mustarshid

al-Mustarshid (1092-29 August 1135) was the Abbasid Caliph from 6 August 1118 to 29 August 1135, succeeding al-Mustazhir and preceding al-Rashid.

Biography
al-Mustarshid was the son of al-Mustazhir, and he succeeded his father as Abbasid Caliph in 1118. al-Mustarshid's reign saw Mahmud II of Great Seljuq impose Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk as his vizier, and the Arabs rebelled against the Seljuks in 1123, besieging Baghdad before they were repulsed. al-Mustarshid then succeeded in deposing al-Mulk, only to be imprisoned in his palace in 1126 after being defeated by Zengi near Baghdad during a failed rebellion. al-Mustarshid had his revenge by restraining Zengi from campaigning against the crusaders and the Muslim city-state of Damascus. al-Mustarshid then launched a military campaign against Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud, only to be murdered in his tent while reading the Quran.